Parasite Spoiler Discussion

Right, here we go. What a bloody good film that was. True genius. Where do I begin?

Firstly, the themes of respect, wealth and ambition. Respect was the big one that the whole film pivoted on. The Parks never seemed bad until they showed a lack of respect by saying the Kim father smelled bad and what a twist. It was in this moment, they were no longer “kind” inadvertently leading to the shock death in the end. Wealth is smart with the higher class on top of the hill and the lower class in the basement in the suburbs or in the basement in the house.

The husband hidden in the basement, while ruining the Kim’s plans: was he the villan? Yes, for trying to kill them, albeit out of revenge for his wife’s death. Yet, he was desperate and just wanted to survive. He’d been chased by loan sharks and went out of business like the Kim father. They were one and the same. The Kim father was just lucky.

So were the Kims the villains? Well, no. They were just opportunists. By no means were they heroes either. This is really when a film is the best, where there is no outright hero or villain.

The idea of wealth is a scary one. There is a glass ceiling. Kevin knows he doesn’t belong. Both the Kim father and the husband in the basement have failed business ventures. The Kim father is not allowed to get close to the Park father. There is a line he can’t cross and he will forever be poor no matter what he does, he is in a losing situation. The one time we think we’ve seen a Kim be successful turns out to be a dream.

Speaking of which, what a tragic ending. While it was difficult for it to end any other way, it was sad to see these people fall. Their mistakes had tragic consequences, while the ignorance of the Parks wasn’t punished either. It was nice to see the son get a message after what had happened to him, but the idea they’ll never see one another again is heartbreaking as he ends up where he started.

How great at acting were the housemaid and her husband by the way. I couldn’t say before, but my gosh they absolutely brought it.